A Strange Twist of Fate
by Cherrry
Summary: Sometimes when life hurts you in the worst of ways, it can open doors to a new future. But sometimes you can lose those close to you in the process of finding what's most important. . .Love. ItaSaku
1. Run

_(_Title sucks, to bad =P)

Hey everybody, im cherry! =3

This is my SECOND time posting this fanfiction, I had it posted awhile ago but I got distracted and didn't write for MONTHS so I took it down. But now I have reposted it and have completely rewrote it, so I will be updating once a week from now on.I appreciate helpful criticism, but this is my first ever attempt at writing so be for warned, it WILL be crappy.

Also there will be language, attempted rape, kidnapping, and maybe some other stuff later. You have been warned!

I feel so bad for writing this chapter, but alas, it must be written for the story to happen.

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A punch hit Naruto straight in the stomach, sending him smashing into a tree thirty feet behind him. Recovering quickly, he leapt up into the tree tops, launching himself backwards deeper into the forest. Catching his breath, he perched on a branch and looked around himself, not sensing his opponent. A rustling of leaves made he dive left, as three kunai imbedded themselves into the branch he had been resting on seconds before.

Whispering 'Kage Bunshin no jutsu' Naruto sent out seven shadow clones into different directions, in a attempt to distract his enemy. Simultaneously a popping filled the air, shadow clones bursting into smoke, and Naruto looked up to see a foot aimed right for his face. Instead of dodging, he grabbed the ankle and attempted to swing his opponent into the ground. But they pulled back their foot with such force that Naruto was sent toppling to the ground. He flipped over, and attempted to leap into an offensive position but was met with two to feet hitting his chest, forcing him back to the ground.

The chilling feeling of metal pressed against his throat, and he could feel his opponent repositioning themselves. Soon he could feel a cool breath against his ear. They sat in silence, as Naruto listened to the panting that filled the air.

"Looks like I win," a smooth voice broke the silence, "and you know what that means Naru-chan. . ." Naruto tensed, he could just hear the smirk in their voice as they taunted him. Suddenly the metal was removed from his throat and a joyful squealing filled the air, "Your buying the ramen!" Naruto looked up at the smiling Sakura standing over him. All those years he had been away, Sakura had grown strong. He watched her as she healed the cuts and bruises from their spar, and even he had to admit, she was one of the strongest ninja in the village. Though, she was held back because she refused to believe in herself, and focused on medical training instead of learning new jutsus.

Sakura glanced up at him and walked over, not bothering to pause and started healing his injuries. When she was finished she stood and packed away her kunai and other weapons she used to spar into her hip pouch. Naruto just continued to stare and smile, he was so proud of his teammate, and couldn't help but think about how much she meant to the whole village. If anything ever happened to her Konoha would fall apart, she was the top medic, surpassing Tsunade many months ago. Her inhuman strength and smarts made her a formidable opponent to anyone she faced.

"You gonna stop grinning like an idiot and come eat some ramen? I hear Ichiraku's has a new flavor!" Sakura now stood on the other end of the feild, hands on her hips, waiting for him to catch up. Grabbing his pack he ran over to her, swinging his arm around her neck and pulling her into a friendly noogie. She squealed and pulled out of his grasp, giggling as she flattened her hair back. Sakura had to immediately start running after Naruto, who was already sprinting back toward the village.

"C'mon Sakura-chan! Im starving, and ramen awaits!" He spun around just in time to see Sakura rush ahead of him. Grinning from ear to ear, he pumped chakra into his feet, racing his pink-haired friend the rest of the way to his favorite ramen shop.

They stumbled into the Ichiraku's laughing, both leaning onto each other for support. Old man, Teuchi, and his daughter, Ayame, looked up at the pair smiling.

"What can I get ya this time Naruto?" Teuchi said, wiping his hands on a cloth as he made his way over to the counter. Naruto and Sakura both plopped down on two stools in the middle of the ramen bar, due to the late hour no one else was there.

"Get us both a bowl of you new specialty ramen old man!" Naruto smiled, glancing at Sakura to make sure that what she really wanted. She nodded and he waved at Ayame as she started cooking the noodles. Sakura and Naruto ate all of their food, Sakura had two bowls while Naruto slurped clean at least ten bowls. By the time they were finished Naruto's stomach was bulging, and his wallet was empty. They made their way out of the bar, standing outside of it for a minute in contented silence.

"You want me to walk you home Sakura-chan? It's pretty dark." Naruto asked Sakura placing his arm around her shoulders. "Nah, I'll be fine Naruto and besides," she shrugged his arm off her shoulders and turned to face him with her arms across her chest, "Aren't you supposed to meet Hinata at the gates soon, she is supposed to return from her mission to Rice country today."

Naruto's face went blank for a second, then his cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as he put an arm behind his head, "Oh yeah," He laughed, "sorry Sakura-chan, but I want a rematch spar tomorrow!" Sakura smiled.

"Whatever you say Naruto, but you know im gonna kick your ass!" She poked him in the chest giggling.

"Bye Sakura" He said a warm smiled spreading across his face as he embraced his friend in a hug. Sakura's arms wrapped around Naruto and they stood there for a moment before seperating.

"Bye Naruto" and with that Sakura turned around and started down the road. As Naruto watched her, a strange feeling of uneasiness came over him and he frowned. But Sakura looked back and gave him one last smile, so he just brushed off the feeling and started sprinting back toward the main gates, completely unaware of the fate that was about to befall his friend.

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Sakura walked in the middle of the night through the first training ground she had ever used as a member of team 7. She leapt up onto the wooden post they had used when Kakashi had gave them their first test as a team, when he had tied Naruto to the middle post and they had passed the test when Sasuke offered Naruto food. Sakura sighed, so much had changed since then. Naruto had gone from the weakest idiot in the class to the next candidate for Hokage, though he didn't know it yet, Tsunade had already chosen him as her successor and had passed it by the leaders. He had grown so strong, and got a whole village that once hated and feared him to accept and look up to him. Sakura had always envied Naruto, though she didn't show it. His lovable personality and determination were amazing, and she just wished she could be somewhat like him.

And then there was Sasuke, her childhood crush. The man she had offered to abandon the village for and confessed her undying love for. He had run off to Orochimaru, and had left her behind. Had knocked her unconscious and left her on a bench, not caring what happened to her. She clenched her fists, nails digging into the palm of her hand. Then Sasuke had the nerve to return to the village, six months ago. After betraying the village and hurting countless, he had to the nerve to just waltz up to the gates like he owned the place and say Orochimaru is dead and that he wants to return to the village!

The first five months after his return Tsunade had at least 10 Anbu guards watching him at all times, but then the village started running low on ninjas so Tsunade dismissed them. Now even though Sasuke isn't aloud to leave the village, he is aloud to roam the streets like a normal citizen. But Sakura had noticed a definite change in her old teammate. She could see a glint in his eyes, the sadistic glint of a cold-blooded murderer. Sakura shivered, she knew she would never be able to trust Sasuke again, because he wasn't Sasuke. Suddenly Sakura could feel something warm dripping from her fingers, and when she glanced down she saw blood dripping from her palms, where her nails had pierced the skin.

Without thinking a warm green glow encased her hands, healing the cuts. She instantly regretted it though, as her vision grew unfocused and she started swaying side to side. She fell to her knees, still on top of the wooden post, and took a few shaky breathes. She had gotten carried away earlier during her spar with Naruto, and now she was only left with enough chakra to keep her conscious. After a few more breathes she slid of the post to the soft grass below, resting her back against the wood and closing her eyes.

Sakura sat there for a few minutes, just relaxing, but then she slowly opened her eyes and stared across the field. As her eyes scanned the dark forests edge and it appeared that everything was calm, but just as her eyes went past the field straight in front of her, a red glint caught her eye. Before she could focus on it though, it was gone. Sakura was immediately on edge, body tensed like a spring. She casually moved her hand to her weapons pouch, looping three kunai through her fingers. She knew in this state she barley stood a chance in a fight, so she could only hope that she was overacting.

Sakura slowly rose from the ground, eyes sweeping the landscape around her, but she didn't sense anything. The world seemed to grow silent as Sakura's harsh breathing seemed to get louder and louder.

"Hey" a voice suddenly spoke from behind her, she flipped around launching one of her kunai above the post she had just been backed up against. Her gazed flew upward and instantly locked with two red eyes gazing down at her. She immediately recognized him and relaxed. . .almost. She kept the other kunai tightly in her hands as she watched Sasuke leap down from the post, her kunai twirling around his finger. And they stood in this position for a moment, gazes locked. Suddenly Sasuke's hand flicked forward kunai laying in his palm.

"I believe this is yours, am I correct?" he spoke, a smirk in his voice.

"Yes, uh. . .sorry for throwing it at you, I was startled. . .thanks Sasuke. . ." Sakura took a cautious step forward reaching for the object. Before she could get her fingers wrapped around it Sasuke's hand clamped on her wrist, making her lose her grip and the kunai clattered to the ground.

Sakura gasped, "Sasuke what are you-" but before she could finish he cut her off.

"Whatever happened to Sasuke-kun." He purred, suddenly pulling her wrist behind himself so she collided with his chest. She stood in shock for a moment, not comprehending what had just happened. But then she tore her hand away from his grip and placed her hands against his chest, attempting to shove him back. One of his arms snaked around her hip, pulling her as close as possible and holding her there with an iron grip.

"Sasuke let go!" Sakura yelled, she was trying her hardest to pull away but she had no chakra and no strength to fight.

He lowered his head to her neck, "But Sakura, isn't this what you always wanted?" His breath ticked her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Before she could blink her back was shoved against the rough bark of the post. She arched in pain, but was shoved once again into the bark when Sasuke pushed his weight onto her not allowing her to move. She pulled at her hands but he held them above her head with one of his own hands. Sakura used all the power she had in an attempt to move, but it was no use, she was trapped.

Sasuke once again lowered his head to her neck but this time he flicked his tongue across her pulse, causing Sakura to gasp. She could feel his free hand move its way to the hem of her shirt and move under it, as he stroked the skin of her stomach. Sakura started crying, tears streaming down her face. She tried to scream but her throat was dry and all that came out was a choked sob. Then a sharp pain irrupted from her neck as she felt Sasuke bite into her flesh, blood dripping quickly down her neck and then being soaked up by her shirt. This time, she really screamed, a bloodcurdling scream. But in seconds it was cut of when Sasuke's hand reached up and slapped her across the face.

"Shut up bitch! I'll make you wish you died a hundred times over if another word escapes your lips!" Sasuke hissed, cold dark eyes boring into hers. But Sakura didn't listen, now that she found her voice she refused to stop screaming. Another scream tore from her lips but this time Sasuke shoved his lips against hers and he shoved is tongue into her mouth. She had just decided to bite his fucking tongue off when his mouth was removed from hers and a rag was shoved into her mouth.

"Now you are going to beg me to kill you whore, but I wont be kind, and im just going to keep torturing you until you die of pain." A smirk spread across his face as Sakura's emerald eyes widened. He suddenly pulled her off the wood and she fell through the air, until her head came in contact with the rocky ground. Blood dribbled into her hair and her vision came in and out of focus. Then he was once again on top of her, this time straddling her. His laugh filled the air, a chilling sound, as he looked at the battered girl below him. His free had made its way to her skirt, and his index finger hooked under the band.

"This is going to be unbelievabley painful, for you that is, but im going to enjoy every minute of it." His voice echoed in Sakura's head, making it pound. But just as her skirt started to slip down something changed. Sasuke had shifted just so her leg had a bit a room. Without hesitating Sakura kicked her leg up with as much force as she could muster, hitting Sasuke right in his manhood. He immediately released her as toppled to the side. Sakura hopped up and the world started spinning around her. She stumbled to the side but regained her bearings enough to draw back her leg once more and shoving her foot into Sasuke's head, with enough force to make him fall unconscious.

Sakura then stumbled backwards, sore all over, and grabbed her head. Through the pain one thought made its way into her head.

_'run'_

She didn't hesitate, she just started running. She didn't question the voice telling her to run, and she didn't pay attention to where she was going, she just ran. Farther and farther into the dark woods.

_'run, escape, don't stop'_

Sakura dodged everything in her path, she blocked out the pain and just continued on. She didn't want to stop, so she wouldn't stop. Her foot hooked around something on the ground, and she fell flat on her face, branches scratched her all over and time froze for a second. Then she heard a noise behind her and a hysteric scream came from her lips as she launched herself up again and continued running. Farther and farther into the dark.

_'Don't be weak, keep going. Run. . .RUN!'_

She immediately picked up speed, not bothering to dodge the bushes and thorns anymore, tearing her way through them. Images of Sasuke and his blood red eyes continued to flash before her eyes, encouraging her to keep moving. She had never felt weaker, she was ashamed of herself. So she kept running. Farther and farther.

_'pain, eyes, red. . .red. . .red. . .run. . .'_

Sakura's vision started fading, and with it her sanity shrank away. Her stumbling got worse and she took one last step before she fell. The ground came closer and closer until Sakura's limp body fell into a small puddle. She watched as the puddle turned dark red, mixing with her blood. She stared at the waters surface, moving farther into unconsciousness. Then, right before the darkness overtook her, two bright red eyes appeared in the murky water. . .

_'help. . .'_


	2. A Meeting and a Mission

No one liked the first chappie =( lol

**Oh well, roll with the punches! So here is the next chapter, last one was pretty blah, hopefully this one is a smidge better. **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story, if I did Sakura would be with someone in the Akatsuki. . .**_

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Sakura woke up and was immediately hit with a wave of nausea, stiffness, and the most intense pain she had ever felt. She groaned and tried to grab her head in a futile attempt to stop the pain. But when she pulled her arms didn't move. That's when the memories of the night before hit her. Sasuke, pain, red, running, and . . .and. . .Sakura knew she was forgetting something important. She was immediately on alert and evened out her breathing, trying to appear still unconscious. Her instincts as a shinobi kicked in and she used all her senses except sight to analyze her situation. She twitched her hands, only to find herself tied with her arms behind her back, palms outward, with her wrists and elbows both tied. That would explain the unbearable stiffness. Next she gently moved her legs, and found them also bound twice, once at the ankle and once at the knee. She could smell wood burning, hear the slight crackle of the flame, and feel heat radiating towards her front. She couldn't feel any caked on blood and felt a slight pressure on the back of her skull. So obviously someone was attempting to keep her alive, but being bound wasn't a good sign. Sakura's heart suddenly sank, she remembered seeing eyes before she fell unconscious, red eyes. That meant Sasuke had caught up to her and that he was going to. . .oh god, he said he would torture her.

"Kunoichi, I know you are awake." Sakura's thought process froze, that wasn't Sasuke's voice. It was deeper and sounded as cold as ice. But what about the eyes she had seen? Sakura composed herself and slowly opened her eyes, looking toward the source of the voice. She immediately shut her eyes and tried to jerk her body backwards, but that only made her head irrupt in pain. She let out a whimper but still kept her eyes shut. It was Sasuke, it had to be, she had seen the blood red eye's of a killer. The eyes that could only belong to Sasuke.

Sakura's mind raced in a blind panic for a moment almost making her go hysteric. But she took a deep breath, knowing he was still watching her. She had to be strong, she wasn't a weak little girl anymore. She may have no chakra and she make be inevitably tortured, but she wasn't going down easy begging for her life. So with that resolution Sakura once again opened her eyes and looked toward the ruby orbs observing her. She had her face set in stone till she took in the rest of the features of the man. He had the same eyes as Sasuke, but other than that he was different. Sakura stared at him in wonder, a look of confusion overtaking her face.

This man's hair was black, not raven like Sasuke's, and was longer and styled in a ponytail. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, deep lines going down his face. Sakura's gazed flickered down to his clothes, and that's when her eyes glazed over with fear, more fear than if that had been Sasuke. This man had a long flowing robe, black with red clouds. Akatsuki. And that's when it clicked into place, the WAS one other person on this earth that had Sasuke's eyes, Uchiha Itachi. An S-class missing nin, who slaughtered his whole clan except for one. Sakura fought to keep the fear from showing on her face, but it was already to late, for her eyes where completely filled with fear.

Sakura then was hit with a wave of confusion, why would Itachi tie her up and more or less kidnap her? She was nothing. . .there was no reason behind it.

"Why?" The words left her lips before she could stop herself, "why did you take me? And bandage me?" She seemed to forget she was talking to a mass murderer.

"Hn" Itachi replied, laying on the ground on the other side of the fire, still staring at her. Sakura shivered under his gaze, but her eyes couldn't leave his. It was as if she was being dragged down, into a swirling abyss. She was almost completely lost until his voice rang through the air once more, "Bait."

This one word was able to free Sakura from her revere. Bait? For what, what does she have that the Akatsuki could possibly- her thoughts cut off when the realization hit her. Naruto, they want Naruto! And now she was bringing him right to them. Naruto was like her brother, and she was his sister, and he would come after her. And now she would be the death of the person closest to her. Anger suddenly filled Sakura, and it wasn't only at the man who had taken her. She just had to be the weak one again, drag her whole team down like always. Then all her anger suddenly flew towards her captor, how could he do this? The bastard killed his own clan and now wants to kill the future Hokage using the closest thing he ever had to a sister! How twisted was this man, they one that could kill hundreds without a second thought.

She was about to yell at him but stopped herself, that would get her no where. She had to escape, and pissing off her captor wouldn't help. But that didn't mean she had to cooperate. Then she heard him stand, and could hear his footfalls come toward her. She instantly looked at the ground, she remembered his Mangekyo Sharingan, he could torture you without actually giving you an actual wound. She saw his feet come close to the ground in front of her.

"Look at me Kunoichi." It was a demand, a demand said in such a cold lifeless voice that Sakura shivered, but she kept staring a the dirt below her not giving in. She saw him kneeling as she instantly flipped her head so she was staring at the strings binding her. She knew they were not normal, she could feel them eating her chakra, but she watched as they flickered in the morning sun. Then, Itachi's smooth warm hand grabbed Sakura's chin pulling her so close to him that there noses almost touched. Sakura's breathing hitched as their breath mingled, and his sharingan started to swirl. Sakura instantly went limp in Itachi's arms, hair falling across her face. Itachi looked at the young woman for another moment before scooping her up bridal style and leaping into the trees. Becoming nothing but a blur of black and pink.

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Naruto walked around the training grounds, worry twisting in his stomach. Sakura still hadn't shown up to spar, and it was already an hour past the time they always met. He decided that he should go looking for her, so he picked up his pack and dashed towards where her apartment should be. When Naruto made it to the door he knocked and got no answer, so he pulled out a key Sakura had given him in case of emergency and went inside. Everything seemed normal as he looked around her small living space. The living room was tiny and in order as always, so he walked to where her bedroom was down the hall. The door was ajar so he quietly pushed it open and looked inside. The bed was completely made, comforter tucked nicely around the pillows and smoothed out.

Naruto figured she must have already left then, maybe to make an emergency round at the hospital. He walked back into the main room and took a glance around, seeing nothing, and went back out. Standing there for a moment, Naruto looked at Konoha from above. Everything seemed completely peaceful, just another normal day in the village. He walked downstairs figuring Tsunade would have known if she was at the hospital, or maybe she had gotten a mission. He leapt to the Hokage tower an burst through the doors to her office, only to find her sleeping on her desk with sake bottles everywhere.

"Baa-chan! Wake up!" Naruto yelled, knowing that would make her head hurt like there was no tomorrow. She immediately shot up clutching her head and glared at him.

"Naruto never wake me up like that! I am your Hokage! And you have to show respect, I mean-" she was cut off when Naruto ran up and put he hands on her desk staring at her.

"But Baa-chan, I want to know where Sakura-chan is! She didn't show up for training and wasn't at her apartment!" He continued to stare at her expectantly, but saw a look of confusion float across her face.

"Well that's strange, she isn't at the hospital either. Maybe she is with Ino or someone." Tsunade said.

"But I saw them as I came over Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji, Kiba, Shino," Naruto counted them on his fingers as he thought of the names," everyone except Sasuke and Sakura were hanging out together."

"Then maybe she is with Sasuke." Tsunade inquired, but then she felt the same worry Naruto was feeling come over her. Sakura had said she still didn't trust Sasuke, and refused to be left alone with him. "Well we have a few extra Anbu. . . I'll send one of them to find Sakura, I have to brief her on a new mission coming up anyways." Hearing this Naruto smiled and plopped down in a chair, certain Sakura would be found soon.

"Shizune!" Tsunade called, a woman with short black hair flitted into the room hair a mess and looking like she hadn't slept for days.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?"

" I need you to send an Anbu out to get Sakura for me, now." The tone of her voice was strict, so Shizune immediately darted out of the room and sent off the Anbu.

A half an hour later there was a light knocking on the door, then in the blink of an eye and Anbu with an eagle mask stood before Tsunade's desk.

"Report on the whereabouts of the ninja Haruno Sakura," the masked nin stated, voice smooth.

"You mean you could not locate her?" Tsunade asked, standing up behind her desk.

"We could not find her in the city, so we had Hakate Kakashi lend us his nin dogs to find her sent. They led us to a spot in the training grounds where we found large amounts of blood that belong to Haruno." The nin stiffened as Tsunade's eyes grew wide. Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor.

"We were able to continue to follow the sent through the woods, it appears Sakura was running, and it led to a point where we believe Haruno collapsed do to imprints in the dirt and more blood. We also found this." The Anbu opened his hip pouch and pulled out a small piece of fabric, with black and red stitching.

"What does that mean? Where is Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice was growing to a yell as he sprung up from his seat and looked back and forth between Tsunade and the eagle masked nin. Tsunade's face had gone deathly pale, and she gripped the desk for support.

"Akatsuki" a whisper left her lips as she fell back into her chair. The Akatsuki had Sakura, the young woman who was as much as a daughter as anything else. Naruto's face also went pale as he stared at the Hokage, for all he knew the Akatsuki could be torturing his poor Sakura-chan this very moment! Tsunade's face grew hard as she looked at the Anbu.

"I need a team right now, find the most elite ninja's currently in the village and send them here. This is a high priority S-class mission. Now go!" The Anbu immediately disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Tsunade fell back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. Naruto still stood, frozen and looked at Tsunade with pleading eyes, looking for some reassurance that Sakura would be all right. He found nothing as Tsunade looked back at him with eyes filled with worry. He sat back down and they both waited for the team to show up.

Soon the room filled with members of the rookie nine. Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke all stood before Tsunade. No one but Naruto knew why they were there, and all of them were baffled to why they had been so urgently called.

Tsunade sighed, "You all are going to be sent on an S-class mission, and will leave in a matter of hours." The room irrupted into murmurs that were soon silenced by Tsunade's glare.

"We believe that the Akatsuki have kidnapped one of our villages ninja," Sasuke stiffened, which did not go unnoticed as Tsunade continued to watch him, "The ninja taken was none other than out Sakura Haruno." Everyone's faces filled with shock, then Tsunade noticed as Sasuke's eyes widened and fists clenched.

"We found blood in the training ground and in a trail through the forest, we have no idea what condition Sakura might be in, because we are dealing with an S-class organization." Tsunade looked at the group as a firm determination filled their faces. Sakura meant so much to everyone, and they'd do anything to get her back.

"We want to avoid as much confrontation as possible, so your only goal is to find and return Haruno Sakura back to Konoha, is that understood?" Everyone nodded.

"Very well then, you have two hours to pack and say goodbye. I want you all to meet at the gates then, and Shikamaru will be the groups leader. Now everyone except Sasuke please go." Tsunade ordered, everyone except said Uchiha leapt from the room. Sasuke and Tsunade stared at each other for a moment before she spoke.

"Sasuke, this mission is about the retrieval of Sakura. The only reason you are going is because I believe your sharingan will help, and I don't want you personal vendetta against your brother to get in the way of this mission." Sasuke nodded, and Tsunade looked for any sign that he was lying in his face. Satisfied she motioned for him to go and he leapt from the room.

Jumping from roof to roof he smirked, this mission would be all about Haruno, and he was going to make sure she died before she ever set foot in this village again.

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Sakura woke up and was immediately on alert, searching for any chakra signatures near her. When she felt no one she slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a dark room, sparsely lit by the glow of a lone candle. She found that she was unbound an stretched her muscles. She noticed a small sparkling and pulled her hand back toward herself. Around her wrist was a small bracelet, with two bands swirling around each other. One was red and the other gray, her breath was taken away by the beauty of such a simple object. It sparkled in the little light, glowing a deep ruby and a stunning silver. She noticed that her chakra was steadily moving into the object, leaving her with only enough to move around, but she couldn't use any of it. She sighed, that meant there was no way to fight her way out of this one.

Glancing around she took in her surroundings. She was in a small stone room, on a simple cot with a thin blanket wrapped around her waist. The candle was sitting on the floor, next to a tray. It held a small cup, a bowl of rice, and an apple. She was about to go grab the tray when she thought better of it, for all she knew it could be poisoned. She felt the back of her head for the injury and found a small pad on it. She clenched her fist and sat up, placing her back against the wall behind the cot. Blocking out the world and just taking deep breathes. She didn't see how she could get away, but if she did then Sasuke was dead. She would kill him for what he had almost done. Her hand slowly reached up an massaged the small wound on her neck.

She was so focused on the injury that she almost didn't notice when the wall slid open opposite from her and a man stepped in, before the wall slammed back into place. Her eyes slowly slid open, once again meeting red. Her breath involuntarily hitched and she pushed herself as far as possible back into the rocky wall. Itachi's eyes flickered to the untouched tray, and then he looked back at her. Walking over to the food he picked up the apple twirled it in his hand, making the skin shine in the light.

He slowly brought it up to his lips, still staring at Sakura, and took a small bite of the apple. It was as if he read her mind and knew why she wouldn't eat. Then without warning he sent the apple flying toward her, and Sakura's arm shot up in reflex and caught it. She tore her gaze away from Itachi's and stared at the apple. Her hunger was immense, and she didn't know how long she had been asleep. She brought the fruit to her lips and slowly took a bite. The juices filled her mouth and she almost moaned, it tasted so good. She took one bite after another, finishing the apple in a matter of minutes.

She refused to look at Itachi as she slowly stood and retrieved the tray, bringing it back to the cot and once again positioning herself against the wall. She slowly ate the rice and drank the water in the cup. By the time she finished her stomach was full and the tray was empty. She set the tray next to herself, watching the little flame of the candle flicker. She could hear Itachi push himself off the wall on the other side of the room and walk over. He grabbed the tray but when he was pulling away his hand lightly grazed her arm. It felt as if a electric current was crawling up her arm and she gasped looking up at Itachi. Both their gazes locked, and they stayed in that position for a moment. Then Itachi quickly turned around and headed toward the wall that once again opened, then shut leaving Sakura once again alone.

She sat there breathing heavily, watching the place where he walked out. Her arm was clutched to her chest, that feeling had been so strange, but not completely unpleasant. And that's what scared her. She shakily laid back down, resting her hands under her head and once again stared at the small flame. A single tear left her eye and streamed down her cheek, she heard a small sound as it fell off her face and onto the shining bracelet around her wrist.

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**Another short chapter, I know. But Im doing my best. Please Review!**


	3. Determination

Okay I really need to stop going back and changing my chapters but I cant help it =(

Oh and really must apologize, I'm a liar, and I suck at updating. So if you're a subscriber I'm sorry if updates are little to none.

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Naruto paced in front of the main gates waiting for the last person to show up for the mission. It had only taken an hour for Hinata and him to pack, so he had been waiting in front of the gates for half an hour, and all the team had already shown up except for Sasuke.

An arm slowly wrapped around his and he looked down to see Hinata, "P-please settle down, I k-know how m-much you miss Sakura. S-she m-means a lot to a-all of us, s-so you cant w-waste your energy." she whispered.

Naruto pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I know, but teme needs to get here soon or I'm going to explode. Poor Sakura-chan could be. . .could be-" he was cut off when Akamaru started barking.

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke slowly making his way toward the gates, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Oi!!! Teme hurry up, Sakura-chan is waiting!" Annoyed anger filled his voice as he took in Sasuke's calm appearance, how could he be so care free with his old teammate in the Akatsuki's clutches? Sasuke just walked right past him and stood by Shikamaru, waiting for him to start.

"Well now that we are all here," Shikamaru sighed glancing at Sasuke, " I guess I can explain the plan. We are going to go to the place where Sakura's trail ended. Then we will see if Akamaru can find a sent or if Neji, Sasuke, or Hinata can see anything. If they do then we will go by that, if not then we will go to the last place an Akatsuki was seen and follow the trail from there. Understood?" Everyone nodded so Shikamaru stood and lead them toward the woods.

When they reached the spot in the woods where Sakura's trail ended Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba stood back as they watched the others work. "Oh god," Kida said covering his nose," Sakura must have been hurt bad, all I can smell is blood."

Naruto's eyes filled with worry as he looked around, seeing red on the leaves and in the puddle below. Akamaru came back and barked twice at Kiba.

"He cant smell anything," Kiba interpreted then patted Akamaru's huge head, "That's all right boy, I'm sure we will find something." Akamaru whimpered but sat down in some clean grass. Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata continued to search, glancing this way and that. After about ten more minutes Hinata froze and stared at a branch high above the ground.

"N-Neji! Can y-you come look a-at this. . .I think I-I found something." Hinata looked down towards her cousin in the ground; he immediately leapt up into the trees. "There," Hinata pointed, "I-if you look r-really close I think t-there is a-a bit of a ch-chakra trail." Neji focused on the spot and kneeled next to it. After a moment he nodded as glanced toward Hinata.

"Your right, its strange though, it looks very similar to Sasuke's chakra signature . . ." Everyone stiffened as the words left his mouth and all there eyes darted to the Uchiha. Sasuke's fist clenched and his sharingan flashed.

"Itachi" he growled and darted up the tree. He looked down and immediately recognized it as indeed Itachi's. Without a moments pause he jumped into the trees surrounding the spot. Everyone was about to chase after him, thinking he had decided to run off on a solo revenge mission. But as all of them made it into the trees they heard his voice ring out about twenty feet to the north. "Here is another bit, so he is heading north." The team caught up to Sasuke standing on another branch.

"Okay so this is how its going to work," Shikamaru announced, "Hinata and Naruto, your going to stay right thirty feet from the middle of the group." They both nodded. "Neji and Ino," Shikamaru looked towards the two, "You will take the left, Sasuke and I will stay in the middle, Kiba and Akamaru will pick up the back, now spread out." All the groups leapt of in separate directions with Sasuke leading them. On the inside Sasuke was smirking, this had just got a whole lot more interesting.

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Sakura sat quietly on the cot in the dark room, it had been hours since she had woken up and in that time Itachi had returned once to give her another tray of the food. She had ate without hesitation that time, reserving herself to the idea that it would be a waste for the Akatsuki to place her here if they were going to simply poison her. Anyways, with this bracelet eating away her chakra she'd need to food to do anything more then just stay awake. When Itachi was in the room she was careful to stay as far away as possible, for she didn't want to feel the electric current once more. About an hour after Itachi had left though, the small candle's flame had suddenly went out, leaving Sakura in complete and utter darkness. She figured the candle must have hade a jutsu so it not only gave light but kept the room at a constant temperature, because as soon as the tiny flame died the temperature had plummeted.

So now she was left to sit here shivering, knees pulled up to her chest and thin blanket clenched around herself, huddled into the corner of the freezing stone room. She could not move, her arms and legs felt numb as if they had been frozen. Thoughts started swimming around Sakura's head, randomly switching from one to another. Konoha must have realized her absence by now, found her blood in the grounds and followed it into the woods. Had they realized just who had taken her captive? What was Tsunade and Naruto thinking? What was Sasuke doing?

An angry fire burned in her veins as his face flashed behind her closed eyelids. If she died here he would never have to face justice, he'd probably sit happily in the comfort of Konoha, thinking about how she had gotten what she deserved.

She was distracted as her shivering escalated into full out convulsions. Her teeth clenched together roughly in an attempt to quiet the sound of them clanking against themselves, which boomed in the room that was cut off from every noise in the world. Through them Sakura tried her best to take deep breathes but they turned into shaky gasps, her lungs begging for more air as if her had been close to drowning. Her medical brain knew what was happening, she was suffering the beginnings of hypothermia, and without chakra she could do nothing.

She cursed the bracelet and herself, the bracelet for withholding her mass amounts of chakra and herself, for being so weak. If she had been strong she could find a way to save herself, hell she would have never had to save herself because she wouldn't be here. If she was strong she wouldn't have let Sasuke affect her so much that she ran with no protection and fallen unconscious in those godforsaken woods. If she was strong she would have at least made an attempt to stop Itachi before he slapped this bracelet on her wrist and locked her up like she was no more then a broom in a closet.

She felt her heart starting to slow and her stomach churned, but couldn't come up with the strength to actually make her nausea known to the outside world. Sakura's vision swimmed and she felt her body go limp and fall on its side so she was just a lump in the corner. Then she felt a slight warmth, and she thought death had come to save her from this frozen hell, but the warmth was coming from the strangest place. Her wrist kept getting warmer and now near delirious, the edges of her lips turned upward, wasn't it silly death decided to begin in her wrist? And then she saw the light, blinding as it was, erupt in front of her.

The warmth did not spread beyond her wrist, and she was annoyed because she could not move towards the light. Wasn't that what god wanted? Weren't you supposed to walk into the light? It was then Sakura started to regain focus and realize she wasn't as cold as she had been, and instead of being frozen in a dead chill the shivers had returned. She was also able to notice a dark figure looming above her.

She looked into it's eyes, and saw a deep crimson, and couldn't remember if that should matter to her. As a matter of fact she couldn't think of much but the slow feeling her blood warming and pumping through her veins. The figure held a hand over where her heart lie, and seemed to be the source of the new found heat. She wanted to be closer to it, the figure whoever it was, that was giving her this delicious warmth. Her hand quickened as she gained more control over her body as she slowly rose it up and reached for the hand looming above her.

Her fingers lightly grazed over the smooth skin and a familiar electric shot went through her. With it came her memories and she jerked her hand and body backwards, gasping as she did. She sat up and looked at the man who had saved her life twice. Itachi Uchiha stood there looking as cold and mysterious as ever, but his signature cloak was missing and hair was slightly amiss as if he had been awoken abruptly. She couldn't help as her eyes seemed over him and drank in the contours of his body, the tight shirt showing the lean but defined muscles of his stomach and chest. Realizing she was staring she looked once again in his eyes, his face had not changed as he remained coolly observing her.

He surprisingly broke their eye contact first, looking towards the burned out candle on the floor, and he gracefully leaned over and picked up the object. He studied it for a few moments before making a few hand signs with his free hand, when nothing happened Itachi simply let the useless object slip from his fingers and clatter to the floor.

Then Itachi turned and made his way to the 'doorway', once he reached it his him pivoted so he was looking at Sakura and slowly raised a hand and using one finger to motion for her to follow. At first she hesitated, but against her better judgment she somewhat _trusted_ the man, so she slowly crawled off the bed and stepped hesitantly toward Itachi. She was at first confused, but then she discarded as what she had called trust as more fear of being once again locked in the room.

Without a word he started down a brightly lit hallway, Sakura following slowly behind. There was no blatant source of light Sakura could find. The walls which looked like brick, unlike the cave like walls her room had been constructed of, seemed to glow and create a light source. Itachi's stride was quick as he made his way from hall to hall, so Sakura had a little trouble keeping up as she went through the maze. There definitely no way she would be able to escape out of this plethora, if only she had chakra she could just knocked her way through the walls. . .she almost ran into her guides back as he suddenly stopped in front of a door and raised his hand so quickly Sakura could not possibly tell what he had done. The door opened and Itachi stepped inside with Sakura coming in a few seconds later.

It was a large room, the walls still seemed to radiate light, but these were painted a smooth scarlet and where smooth as glass. There was a king sized bed in the middle of the room, the head pushed against the north wall, its black comforters and sheets seemed to be of the finest quality. A nightstand and chair stood next to the bed on one side, on the chair lay an Akatsuki cloak and on the table multiple weapons pouches lay with some kunai sprawled beside them. On the other side was a modest dresser its deep chestnut coloring added to the warm feeling of the room. There was one other door, which Sakura assumed was a bathroom. In all the room was fairly simple, but at the same time Sakura couldn't think of anything to change it.

Itachi made his way to the bed and sat himself in the middle before picking up one of the kunai from the table and started sharpening it in a repetitive motion. Before Sakura could try to think of something to do with herself in this situation Itachi's hand stopped its motion for a moment and pointed towards the bathroom door. Sakura silently made her way through the doorway a slipped it shut behind her. She made her way over to a small sink an looked in the mirror above it, she felt completely awkward. She was in the bathroom with one her greatest enemies in the next room, and he had complete control over her. She couldn't believe herself and the fact she hadn't even tried to escape, granted she didn't stand a chance, but she was being nothing but an obedient puppy.

She sighed and turned on the water till it was burning hot and splashed her face, the grime and small spots of blood had stood stark against her pale skin a moment before washed away. Looking toward the tub Sakura figured she might as well use it, if she wanted any chance of surviving this she had to be in the best condition possible, and being covered in dirt and letting her small wounds get infected weren't part of the plan.

Sakura watched as the water swirled and filled the tub, after she turned off the water she paused. She had no replacement clothes so she would have to wash the ones she was currently in, so she took off her medic skirt and outer vest but left on her spandex shorts and tank top as she climbed into the water. A groan left Sakura's lips and she sunk below the water surface as the warm water caressed her. She reached up and removed the bandage hidden beneath her hair and washed the wound. Flashes from what Sasuke had done came to her mind and her hand shot to the mark on her neck from where he had bitten her, Sakura shook her head and dispelled the thought as she cleaned herself.

After she was clean enough she climbed out, still clad in her tank and shorts and dried herself the best she could with a towel she found under the sink. Then she picked up her other articles of clothing and began to clean the small spots of blood, the where made to be dirt resistant so she merely shook them and the caked mud and dust flew off into the tubs water. Sakura was satisfied with her job so she pulled the plug ion the tub and pulled on her skirt and vest. Once again looking in the mirror she was surprised at how normal she looked and her fists gripped the sink. She couldn't just sit here and wait for someone to save her, she had to try something. She looked around and found something useful, an S-class criminal had weapons everywhere, so she wasn't surprised to find a kunai tucked under the sink. She slipped the weapon into the waistband of her shorts and took a deep breathe in preparation to leave the room. She opened the door but before she could take more then a step, the steely cool feeling of metal met her throat and she froze, Itachi's face was mere inches from hers and she stared into his deep eyes.

"Let's not try anything tricky Kunoichi" his voice slowly drawled as he pulled the kunai quickly from her hiding place. His breath fanned her face once more before he stepped away and turned around. Anger filled Sakura and she shot her fist forward towards his unprotected back, but unsurprisingly her arm was shoved downward and twisted into a horribly painful position behind her back. She hissed in pain but refused to cry out as he held her there.

"Useless" he spat at her before shoving her forward. Sakura had known it was just that 'useless' but at least she had tried, so she made her way to the wall opposite of the bed and slid down the wall till she was seated. She waited for Itachi to sit down and watched as he began meticulously sharpening his weapons, including the kunai she had taken.

She knew he felt her gaze when his hands slowed and his eyes flickered up to hers. She hardened her gaze and thought of all the hate she had for this man, and focused it all into her eyes. His eyes remained cool and collected never showing even a flicker of emotion. So they sat there for what felt like an eternity staring each other down. Sakura saw a small twitch of Itachi's hand and a smirk came to the corner of her mouth, then she slowly closed her eyes and leaned more into the wall behind her.

Sakura knew no matter how hard it would be she would do anything to stop Itachi from getting Naruto, and now in the one seemingly trivial staring contest, so did Itachi. And with that Sakura slowly drifted off into a restless sleep, filled with nothing but red eyes. . .

_**me: Review or i will eat you!!! please *puppy dog eyes***_

_**Sasuke: Why do I have to be so evil?????? **_

_**me: BECAUSE itachi is smexier!!!*glomps itachi* **_

_**Sasuke: I feel so unloved. . .Sakura you still love me right? **_

_**Sakura: Of course. . . .NOT! *glomps itachi* **_

_**Sasuke: *crawls into emo corner* **_


	4. Control

**Woot! say hello to the first (and probably last) quick update of this story! I decided to write this right after I rewrote last chapter so enjoy the quickness! I decided to lighten up the story a bit by adding an appearance by someone I cant take seriously at all, if u can guess right you get a cookie =)**

**Oh then later there is a really emo part in italizied print. . .hehe**

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto alas is not mine, I think im gonna cry. . . T.T**

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Sakura woke up stiff and alone, which seemed to be a normal occurrence these past two days. Opening her eyes she proved her senses correct, the room was empty of all other life. She still sat perched against the wall opposite the bed, and now Sakura realized maybe that hadn't been the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements she could have chose. Arching her back and reaching up as far as she could Sakura felt her joints enjoyably pop, and she sighed in relief.

Looking towards the table, any hopes of setting up some kind of trap were squashed when she saw Itachi had taken all his weapons pouches when he left, and probably cleaned out any hidden ones he may have.

After thinking about it, in reality, Sakura knew she had no hope of escape at the current moment. She now hoped for one of two different outcomes to stem from her kidnapping. Her first idea, and the most beneficial for her and Konoha, was that during her time in captivity she might be able to find a weak link in Itachi and the Akatsuki. That way when Konoha came to rescue her they would have a wild card in defeating and crushing them. Then maybe Akatsuki would crumble and she wouldn't have to worry about a whole organization hell bent on killing her best friend.

Her second idea, which wasn't very good for her, was that Konoha would be forced to give up searching before they found her. She knew the village was constantly on limited resources of ninja, so they cant afford to have to many elite ninja on an extended mission at a time. But knowing her sensei and Naruto they wouldn't give up on her, but she wished they would. It's not as if Sakura wanted to die, but she would rather that happen then put her friends in danger to save her weak little self. She was just one ninja, not worth risking the future Hokage over.

Sakura thoughts where interrupted with a noise outside the door and a warmth on her wrist, she stood and backed up into a standing position, but all her muscles were spring loaded and prepared to defend herself if needed. She may not be able to defeat whoever it was, but maybe she could take an arm or leg out with her. She quickly glanced toward her wrist where the bracelet lay, and found it giving off a weird warm sensation. She shook her wrist but refocused on the noise as it continued to escalate.

Sakura could make out a voice, but not what it was saying. She could tell it was much to loud and deep to be Itachi's and to her surprise it had a _whining _tone to it.

". . .would be fine! I wouldn't kill it, just play around, it would be okay without an arm or-" the deep voice became clear as it got closer, but was cut short by a low murmur of another person. Sakura took another step backward as she heard the voices and footsteps stop outside the door. The door slid open and revealed Itachi, and he stepped around Sakura who was baffled at where the other voice had come from, and sat in the chair next to the bed to watch the proceedings . Sakura was about to turn around but then from around the edge of the doorway came a man Sakura could only describe as monstrous. . .and blue?

He had the blue skin, gills, and beady eyes of a shark but looked like a football player on some serious steroids. As soon as he saw Sakura his mouth stretched into a toothy grin and Sakura's eyes widened at the seemingly terrifying man who now stood towering above her.

"Hey it's a cutie!" His boisterous laugh filled the room, "How's it going Pinky?" His voiced boomed within the confines of the room.

For a second Sakura was frozen in shock but as his words sunk in her eye twitched. She sent him a death glare forgetting his S-class criminal status as her hand balled into a fist, "What did you just call me?" Sakura growled.

"Oi, you look like angry kitten Pinky!" He bent over with laughter and gripped his stomach as the waves of laughter hit him. The hair on Sakura's neck bristled. Sakura was, to put it lightly, very annoyed. This fish-man was calling her Pinky and accusing her of being as threatening as a kitten.

"I'll show you a kitten," Sakura spat as she cracked her knuckles "you ready for this fish boy?" Sakura raised her fist and aimed ready to kick this guy's ass.

"It's Kisame, Pinky" Kisame pulled out a sword Sakura thought only he would be able to lift, scales glistened along the whole blade, "meet Samehada."

She knew without chakra this would be an uneven fight, but with a guy this big, his tai jutsu was probably very slow. And she might not have her super human stregth but neither did a lot of skilled ninja, so sakura sunk in to a crouch waiting like a cobra to strike.

"Stop." The silent comand filled the room, so strong and terrifying the voice Sakura imediatly dropped her fist and slowly stood up. Itachi made his way inbetween the pair all the while glaring at Kisame.

"Ah c'mon Itachi! Loosen up, we were just gonna have a little friendly spar!" Kisame leaned against Samehada looking glum. Sakura spat at the word _friendly, _like she could ever be friendly with someone from the Akatsuki. If she had her chakra this guys Samehada would have been in pieces before he could say Pinky one more time.

"Do not touch the bait" he simply stated while still holding his gaze. _'Bait? oh no you did not just call me bait. . .' _Sakura fumed inside her head.

Sakura didnt know what came over her but a childish annoyance filled her being. She crossed her arms and glared at the back of the Uchiha in front her, _'Screw being a good prisoner'_ Sakura spat in her head. Then she did something that no one would have suspected, Sakura quickly Stuck her tongue out at Itachi's back and at the giant fish man now gauking at her.

Kisame's jaw dropped but there was a small twitch at the side of his lips, "And she is a cheeky one too!" He flipped Samehada through the air and sheathed it once again into it's home on his back.

Itachi on the outside remained emotionless as he turned around and saw the now very innocent looking Sakura looking around the room. He was baffled at Kisame's sudden change of emotion, or what this Kunoichi had just done, but he wasn't going to show it.

"Well I had a good time Pinky, maybe sometime when Mr. Googley Eyes isn't around we can spar, ne?" Kisame ducked as Itachi launched a kunai into the wall where his head had just been. Sakura giggled then froze as both the S-class criminals eyes dug into her. A hand slapped over her mouth as she realized what she had just done, she had laughed no . . ._giggled _at her captors. Sakura thought she was going insane, how could she ever do that in her right mind?

"My oh my, you might just be something interesting Pinky" Kisame grinned and turned to leave. If looks could kill Kisame would be swimming with the fishes by now with the look Sakura was drilling into his back.

"Hey it's Sakura, Sa-ku-ra, and ill kick your ass any day fish bait!" Kisame paused for a moment but didn't turn around, he let out a slight chuckle then continued walking, ducking as he went through the doorway. Sakura huffed and crossed her arms, moving her sight to the nightstand as she pursed her lips.

One thing really bugged her, she had been comfortable enough to giggle in front of THE Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, and deep inside both had brought up some sort of familiarity. Itachi was of course Sasuke, which since she hated them both it really didn't matter. But Kisame had reminded her somewhat of her good friend Sai. Sure they didn't look alike but with the joking insults and wanting to spar, it just hit way to close to home. It made him seem like less of a monster and more like. . . Like. . .a human. That's one thing Sakura didn't want to think about, so she decided to distract herself.

Meanwhile the Uchiha was trying to figure this Kunoichi in front of him out. She seemed so weak, he had seen her collapse in the woods, she practically brought herself into this. She had to be saved again and again. But at the same time she seemed strong. She was an elite ninja of a strong village, she had immense amounts of chakra to the point the had to put his strongest chakra withholding jutsu on her, and she wasn't afraid to take on S-class criminals like Kisame. His thoughts were interrupted when said girl looked at him.

"Itachi. . " Sakura started somewhat nervous, his name feeling weird coming off her tongue, but still having the a bit of a rush from her banter with Kisame, "I'm hungry."

She hadn't realized how hungry she actually was till she said it, and her stomach let out a loud growl to accent the fact. A pink the same shade as her hair flitted across her cheeks as she grabbed her stomach.

"Hn" was all Itachi said as he walked past her and out the door. Sakura figured she would have to wait in the room so she was about to sit against the wall when she saw Itachi standing in the doorway just staring at her. "Come Kunoichi"

Sakura stood and came up behind him, and so he started down the hallway, and Sakura prepared herself for labyrinth of tunnels again. But after they passed about three doors Itachi stopped and turned towards one that looked like it was a swinging doorway instead of a regular one and pushed the door open to reveal a simple kitchen. In the middle sat and old wood table that looked a bit abused, with six mismatched chairs strewn around it. Along the wall wrapped a counter top that looked like it had seen its days in war, with random indentations and scratches from who knows what. Surprisingly the cabinets look very new, as if they had recently needed to be replaced. . . Sakura shook the thoughts from her head as her stomach started to complain once again.

Itachi had placed himself in one of the chairs, slightly slouched, looking as if he hadn't had a good nights sleep in years. Sakura made her way to the fridge and looked at its contents, she found a surprising amount of beer taking up most of the shelves. Sakura looked out of the corner of her eye at the Uchiha who's back was to her, she wondered what he was like when he was drunk, she just couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of the eternally graceful man being drunk.

Digging past some of the beer cans and bottles she found a package of dango and a smile spread across her lips. She hated to admit it, being a medic and always telling people like Naruto that you need a healthy diet, but she had a major sweet tooth. She took the sugary treat and sat at the opposite end of the table from her captor then ripped the package open before popping one of the sticks in her mouth. Enjoying her freedom she leaned back in the chair, forgetting everything going on around her and enjoying the wonderful snack.

She heard the package crinkle and at the thought of one of her dangos disappearing made her jerk forward, "Hey what-" she started but stopped, dango hanging out of her mouth her face inches from her dangos kidnapper. Itachi moved backwards and slipped back into his seat and pushed the food into his mouth as the Sakura stared. She slowly continued eating her own, somewhat annoyed that she had lost her sweet.

After she had finished Itachi had led her back to the room before leaving her there and locking the door. Sakura walked around the room not knowing what to do, if they were planning on torturing her to death with boredom, they were well on their way to achieving their goal. She looked towards the bed and thought of her last few nights of sleep, she bet it was one of the most comfortable beds she could imagine. A long yawn escaped her lips and the idea of taking a nap in that comfy looking bed sounded like a great idea, but she dismissed it quickly, how could she sleep in the same bed as Itachi Uchiha a mass murderer had? She turned to go lie against the wall but before she sat down Sakura didn't think it would hurt to see how comfy the bed actually was.

Slowly she made her way over to the end of the large bed and ran her fingers over the comforter, it felt like silk under her sore hand. Ever so delicately she turned around so she could sit and she almost let out a groan, the bed felt like a cloud straight from heaven. She sunk down into it and her eyes suddenly became very heavy _'maybe I could rest my eyes. . .for just a moment' _Sakura fell to her side and curled up on the end of the huge bed. The fabric caressed her exposed skin and she purred in content. Before she knew it Sakura was in a deep sleep.

"_Oh Sakura. . .come out come out where ever you are" a deep husky whisper came from somewhere around Sakura. She tore through the woods, branches grabbing her arms and legs tripping her, trying to get her to stop, so he can get her. She tried to scream but she had no voice. A flash of red to her left made her jump sideways and throw a kunai, but it was useless. _

_Sakura saw the edge of the woods and tears of joy slipped from her eyes, she saw the building of Konoha just beyond the branches, but as she broke through the edge of the forest the bushes gripped at her ankle dragging slowly backwards. Her silent screams ripped apart her throat as Sakura fought the brush, red eyes just beyond its edge. She saw a kunai set a few feet away and lunged for it, her fingers grazing its edge. She stretched her fingers till they felt like they were going to come lose from her hand, then she got one finger looped around it. As soon as she had it in hand the brush drug her in even faster, sucking her up like quicksand. She sliced at it until it released its hold and she staggered back, falling over, blood coated her hands and the kunai she had used. _

_She got up and ran from the horror of the woods and blood. She rubbed her arms as she ran, to rid herself of the horrible blood, but it would not leave. She reached the edge of the city and looked for help but there was no one. Everywhere was empty and dead as the dark night that blanketed it all. She ran through the streets but it beat her there, the blood red eyes stood in her path, swerving around to escape she was met with the same pair, anywhere she turned there they were. She was trapped, a million red eyes swirling around her._

_She threw her knife between the eyes but they only disappeared before returning full force. Her voice came back as she let out a bloodcurdling scream as something grabbed her wrist burning it. She tried to pull her arm back but it was useless, the burning just slowly crawled up her arm. A light shown in the distance and the eyes hissed and made and opening for it. In the light stood a black figure reaching out a hand to her. She grabbed her saviors hand with her burning arm and it instanly cooled, but then the eyes came from behind the figure in the light. Sakura screamed. . .no. . .but the eyes stabbed him. . .no. . .her savior. . .no. . . she covered her eyes to escape the horror. . .blood sprayed covering her body. . NO!_

"NO!" Sakura screamed shooting up from her sleep. Tears streamed down her face and a great pain and warmth came from her wrist, looking down her arm was covered in scratches seeping blood. Her stomach lurched as she remembered the dream and she stumbled to the bathroom. The nausea went away before she actually became sick but she looked at her self in the mirror and was afraid of her own reflection.

She must have reached up and grabbed her face in her sleep, the blood from her wrist was smeared across her cheek. The red terrified her and she wrenched the water on and scrubbed her arm till it was almost raw, and splashed her face again and again until all the blood was long gone. She took deep breaths to steady herself as she looked towards her wrist, red lines the same color as the band in the bracelet adorned her arm. Going all the way up to her forearm she must have scratched herself at least three times with all her fingers, and she had dug deep. How had this not awoken her? Sighing she looked back up at her reflection, and she was met with a million red eyes.

_Sakura screamed. . .no. . .but the eyes stabbed him. . .no. . .her savior. . .no. . .she covered her eyes to escape the horror. . .blood sprayed covering her body. . NO!_

She jerked backwards and landed on the floor, sobbing and shaking. She was weak, oh so weak, she couldn't even get over a stupid dream . . .no nightmare. She wiped the tears away and stood up, carefully avoiding looking in the mirror as she made her way into the bedroom.

A second after she entered the room her wrist started to feel even warmer and she looked at the bracelet, it had an almost unnoticeable glow and she brought it to her face to examine it. The silver and crimson seemed to swirl in the bands, dancing around one another. She was so entranced with it that she almost didn't notice as someone entered the room. Looking up she saw Itachi walk in the room, cloak strewn over his shoulder looking as if he had been training. He laid his cloak upon the chair and his eyes made their way to Sakura, his eyes seemed to flow downwards down her frame and stop, looking down Sakura saw her scratched arm and quickly moved it behind herself.

But she was to late, and Itachi sauntered over and looked at her, "Let me see your arm" he stated but Sakura ignored him and held her arm firmly in place. Without another word his hands gripped her elbow making her yelp in pain as her brought her arm out. His eyes seemed to slide over each of the scratches as if each had their own story to tell. Before he brought his crimson orbs once again to meet her emerald ones.

"What happened?" he asked as if it was the weather, and ashamed of her own weakness Sakura looked away to the floor.

"Nothing" Sakura muttered trying to pull her arm away, but his grip only constricted her arm more painfully, she knew she would have a hell of a bruise in the morning.

"I do not ask questions twice Kunoichi" Itachi said in a steely tone. Sakura could tell he was in a mood that should not be tested, but how could she admit her weaknesses to her captor? Give him that pleasure in the idea that she is nothing but the weak scum compared to himself. So she did not respond, and so Itachi reacted. She found her self shoved against a wall, a hand pressing her throat into the stone like material.

"Do not forget, do not ever forget, i am your captor. I have the power to decide if you shall live or die. I control you, and i always get what I want." And with that he activated his Mangekyou Sharinggan. His hands slipped from Sakuras neck to her chin, allowing her on quick gasp of air before he forced her to look him in the eyes.

Sakura found herself in a world of red and looked around herself. The world seeemed neverending, groound as black as coal and skies the color of blood. Before her stood a single black raven, eyeing her. She knew what had happened but did not know what exactly what the Uchiha was planning. Would he torture her for what felt like days but was actually seconds? When Kakshi had been affected he had been in the hospital for a couple weeks before he busted himself out, and Sakura knew she did not have his will power. Suddenly the ravens mouth opened wide and the world around her changed. She was once again in a dark woods running for her life in her nightmare. Sakura would not let Itachi see what had frightened her, so she fought with everything in her being to protect her secret.

"_Oh Sakura. . .come out come out where ever you are". . ._

_She tore through the woods . . ._

_as she broke through the edge of the forest the bushes gripped at her ankle. . ._

_blood coated her hands and the kunai. . ._

_dead as the dark night. . ._

_In the light. . ._

_stabbed him. . ._

_blood. . ._

_NO!_

Pieces of her dream flashed through the world, flickering in and out of focus, then it returned back to the red world it really was. Sakura fell to her knees grabbing her head then lifting her eyes to see the black raven once again watching her.

"No one controls me" she spat, before she collapsed and Itachi's Mangekyou faded.

Then Itachi stood as the raven had watched as the Kunoichi's lips closed and her breathing evened out. He couldn't beleive this creature before him had actually fought off tsukuyomi, no one had ever accomplished that. Kisame may be right, this girl might just be interesting. Itachi walked over to the dresser and pulled out a blanket, walking back over he carefully laid it across the fallen girl. FOr a second he paused and thought of why he would do such an act, but he dismissed it as just the fact that he couldn't let harm come to the bait. . .

**IF YOU LOVE ME OR THIS STORY EVEN A SMIDGE YOU WILL REVIEW!**

**Kisame: Desperate much?**

**Me: No. . .well maybe. . .or. . .SHUT UP **


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